For the Christian, it can often be difficult to reconcile being both sinner and yet righteous by faith. It is a dichotomy that can truly seem so contradictory as to not even be possible. But yet, being baptized into Christ's death and resurrection, the sinner is declared blameless, Jesus' righteousness being imputed to the sinner's account for Jesus' sake.
Our lion design focusing on Dr. Martin Luther's "Simul Iustus Et Peccator", or "At Once Justified and Sinner", shows the tension of the difficult, yet true, state for the Christian believer. But rather than focus on the believer himself, this design re-focuses the concept of "Simul Iustus" back to Jesus Christ and the cross.
Both of the lions in this design represent Christ. The crown on the clean lion represents justification by the King of kings. The horns on the bloody lion allude to the depth of evil and sinfulness that Christ took upon himself in our stead. Christ is represented as both the Judge and the recipient of just judgment.
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
The mystery and beauty we are celebrating in this design is how God the Father was able to pour out all His wrath upon His Son Jesus, who we are told became sin in order that sinners like us could be treated as if we were perfectly righteous. It is a classic depiction of good and evil existing in tension with one another. And in a way, Christ, the lion of Judah, embodies both.
In faith in Christ, you can remain confident that God sees Jesus' merit in your stead.
This shirt is a heathered charcoal gray fabric, which means that it has a 'mottled' look to it instead of being a flat gray. It is a Hanes Beefy-T 6.1-ounce, blended fabric shirt, 60% cotton and 40% polyester. As with all Hanes Beefy-Ts, this is a high-quality shirt, durable and will have minimal shrinking, yet having plenty of weight to it guaranteeing it will last a long time.
